Strength in Numbers
by A-chana
Summary: It's not always a grand adventure or an iconic love story that determines how one develops and grows into a new person. Rather, the little interactions are enough to change how they perceive those around them. Short fic collection, multiple pairings and crushes, ratings T and down.
1. Squall

Hi. I decided to make this collection of little plot ideas I can't develop into longer stories. Most of what I put here does not exceed three pages (on OpenOffice, at least), and they do not connect directly, aside from one being caused by a decision at the end of another. The length can vary from less than six hundred words to over a thousand, though. At this point, I'm still triple- and quadruple-checking the grammar of my other ones.

The overall rating is somewhere between K-plus and T, but chapters themselves tend to lean more towards one or the other (one or two are even K). The worst that happens is cursing, the aftermath of drinking alcohol, and reference to groping, but the latter two are in later chapters; I mention it when it comes up.

The main characters are Zelda, Dedede, R.O.B., and Nana; they'll show up the most in the stories. I don't know yet if I'll have a short story that doesn't focus on any of them. Also, pairings-wise, it's…actually a total mess, to be honest. As in, Popo likes Nana, who likes him _and _Dedede, who likes Zelda, who's dating Link.

As for connections to previous stories, unless otherwise noted, all this takes place at least several months after The Thin Line (which takes place weeks after A Royal Pain, with Heroic about two months before that). These, however, have no particular order, aside from the two that are directly connected. There is reference to some development over that time, but I don't know yet if I'll cover that.

I don't know how long I'll keep this up. it could be for weeks, or it could be for a short burst. Basically, it goes on until my mind decides it's had enough and jumps ship.

(1-4-12: Minor edits done in every chapter to fix awkward phrases and formatting; some lines have been removed.)

* * *

"So, basically, you finally decided to throw your parka into the laundry today, which just happened to coincide with a storm?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you left a hairband out here, which was _so_ important that you had to spend an hour searching for it in the rain, in the vacant lot behind the apartments, with all the trees and crap."

"Pretty much."

Dedede smacked his forehead lightly. "Impulsive, much?"

"It's rubbing off on me," Nana smiled. The girl walked by his side, wearing just a pink tank top, purple shorts, and sandals.

Rain was pouring down upon the two, but Nana looked considerably wetter. While Dedede had only been outside for a short time, looking for Nana, she had been outside long enough to look completely drenched. At least Dedede was marginally dry, thanks to his robes. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of wind, and had it not been for the rain, it would have been a relatively hot day anyway. It didn't change the fact that Nana looked like she had actually been dunked underwater, however.

"At least Popo's not here right now. God, that kid would go on and on if he saw you like this."

"He probably _will_ see me when we get back inside. If he's sleeping like you said he is, he's in our room, meaning I can't get dry clothes without waking him up."

"Do it anyway; I don't care how long he'll rant about it. Hypothermia is not a fun thing, as I'm sure you know all about."

Nana shrugged. "Hey, I have innate _ice_ powers. It sucks and all, but it'll take a lot more than some cold to kill me."

Dedede looked down at her. "You're shivering."

Nana stuck her tongue out at him, then stopped. He paused to see what was up, but was taken by surprise when Nana suddenly tugged at his robe. "If I'm so cold, then be a gentleman and let me have this."

"No way! I need to stay dry, too!"

"Dedede, would you really let a little girl stay wet and cold?" Nana gave the best puppydog look she could, trying to convince him that she was a little waif that needed his aid.

"…Possibly."

Nana quickly dropped the innocence act. No use in trying it on a guy that was immune to such charms. "If _you're_ worried about staying dry, then we'll share!"

"How would that even work?"

"Like so."

There was an advantage to Nana being so small for her age. She was nimble enough to pull up the robe sightly and duck under it, and before Dedede understood what was going on, she had climbed onto his back, arms over his shoulders and crossing just below his neck. Her head poked out from the collar, and aside from it and her arms, she was blanketed by the slightly damp interior of the jacket.

"Oh, no." Dedede looked back, craning to see Nana as best as he could. "Didn't you just say you weren't worried about hypothermia?"

"I'm still not, but I just don't like being cold," Nana grinned, tightening her hold.

"Get off, kid."

"_Nein_. Take me back inside, and we'll talk."

"Geez, you're crazy," Dedede groaned, deciding he can deal with it a little longer. They had just entered the backyard, at any rate.

"And _you're_ warm, and your jacket's nice and fuzzy, so _there_," Nana then drove her point – assuming she even had one – home, rubbing her cheek against the back of his neck.

She had gotten braver, and a lot more obnoxious, about her feelings over the past few weeks. Dedede was partially to blame, as he had allowed her to idolize him, and eventually he became an influence on her. He knew she was doing this just to get a reaction, as unlike previous crushes of hers, he was a lot less likely to blush and a lot _more_ likely to snap. Nana wasn't exactly known for fearing the wrath of those around her, however.

Dedede decided to not give her the pleasure of knowing she was wearing on his nerves, and continued on_.  
_


	2. Popularity Contest

A bit of an explanation: The way I see it, the Smashers _do_ know about their fanbases, but instead it's more like a sport fanbase. They do have videogames based on the fighting, but they' are not their origins, so they did not come from video games and have no reason to think so. Plus, their version of Brawl has yet to be made.

As for the Smash Association, it's the group that funds and maintains all this. They're the ones that bought the apartments for their use, and they determine the match brackets. Master Hand _doesn't_ lead them, but he has a strong say in what happens (because, well, if you're a non-Smasher, are _you_ going to argue with the reigning god of your world?).

As a result, the popularity has nothing to do with actual strength in the games, but more of an 'initial thoughts' type of thing. Remember the good ol' days when R.O.B. was bashed a lot? I do!

* * *

R.O.B. stared sadly at the charts, which told who was the fan favorite and who was not. There were three versions, side by side, compiled on the Smash Association's official site. On the left was the overall popularity chart for the season. The chart next to it contained data compiled over the last week. And, on the far right, the all-time popularity was noted.

The top ten of both the left and right charts were dominated by the swordsmen, as well as Mario, Pikachu, Captain Falcon, and Kirby. No surprise, there. The middle chart was a bit different; Dedede and Ness had gotten a sharp increase in popularity, and Captain Falcon and Kirby were ranking much higher than they did overall, with men like Link and Marth making up the lower half of the top ten and the ranks below it.

After that point, the charts started to look similar, however.

R.O.B. had scrolled to the bottom, and was seeing the same people. Pichu. Donkey Kong. Dr. Mario. And…himself.

R.O.B. wasn't quite sure how to interpret this blow to an already-fragile ego. It wasn't like it was a total shocker. He only got in because of Zelda's suggestion to the Smash Association, but while people were already rallying for Dedede, the other person she recommended, to join in the first place, R.O.B. had come out of nowhere.

This didn't even touch about the scathing opinions of him he had seen browsing forums. A lot of fans seemed to think he had taken up a precious spot and prevented their favorite from joining – never mind that, as far as he knew, there was never an official cap on the number of people allowed to join the fights. They simply didn't think he deserved to be here.

But…he did, didn't he? His kind was around long before most of his fellow Smashers were even born. There was the added aspect of what had happened with Subspace. It had been put out into a novel form, compiled by everyone involved, and an animated movie was in the planning stages.

Then again, it was possible the fans had not yet forgiven him for his role in the invasion.

R.O.B. closed the browser. He didn't need to start on another downward spiral into depression. Ever since he joined this group, his allies had reached out and helped him climb out of the hole of self-loathing he had gotten himself into.

He knew it wouldn't help to give up now. If Olimar and Jigglypuff could earn their respect _after_ joining, then darn it, so could he.

R.O.B. left the computer room, nodding in acknowledgment to Peach, who was waiting for her turn. He wheeled down the hall, and heard a clamor echoing from just up ahead. As he passed by the living room, he saw why.

Marth and Pit were sitting on the couch, being congratulated by Nana, Popo, and Ness. Standing not too far behind them were Link and Mario. It had been a team battle, and the two on the couch had won. Even their opponents, Mario and Link, weren't bitter at all. Granted, they weren't the bitter types to begin with, but in R.O.B.'s point-of-view, it still added to the fame those two and others were getting. Bias was bias, and it was to be expected, with the emotions he had been programmed with.

Yet, if he could smile, he'd have done so now. They were in for a wake-up call soon. R.O.B. went back to going down the hall, ready to check to see when his next slated matches were. He'd do what other initially-unpopular Smashers did to earn fans: Fight.


	3. What Pikachu Wants, Pikachu Gets

Have you beaten Classic Mode with Dedede? Remember the congratulations screen? That was cute. Seriously cute. This fic is inspired by the copious amounts of cute that oozed from that one thing, although the scene itself doesn't actually have relevance here.

A small word on Pikachu's speech: The way I see it, every possible 'word' has many, many meanings. It's just when, where, and from what particular Pikachu that determines which one it is. So, while 'Pipipi' for the _anime_ Pikachu is 'Togepi', it means 'Dedede' to _this_ one (and probably also means 'Pet me, I'm cute!' and 'Tee hee, you're stupid!' under different circumstances, for all I know). That's not even touching upon regular words. Still, I do translate Pikachu's thoughts.

* * *

Pikachu sniffed at the soft pretzel, trying to climb onto the table even as Dedede kept a hand on his back in an attempt to push him down back onto the chair next to him. "No. Go away."

The mouse-like Pokemon had learned of the joy that was cheese-stuffed pretzels last week, when Yoshi shared one with him. He had been craving it ever since, and wasn't about to take no for an answer. He looked up at Dedede, faking a naive innocence. "Pika?"

"That's right. _Mine_, not yours," Dedede patted him on the head, before trying to keep him down once again.

Pikachu was surprised. Wasn't his act supposed to work flawlessly? It always worked before when he used it on the others. What, was Dedede _immune_ to cute? He couldn't have been, right? Seriously, there was Nana. She hadn't really succeeded when it came to flirting, but outside of that, she gotten her way several times using her charm.

So, in that case, Pikachu just needed to try harder. That could be done.

"Pipipi," Pikachu replied, using his way to say Dedede's name – although, with a vocabulary of three syllables, it had many meanings to begin with, differentiated only by context. "Pipipi, kachu?"

"Huh? You know I don't speak Electric Rat."

That never stopped Pikachu from continuing to talk on. "Kachupi, kachupi!" He moved out from under Dedede's grip, and put his front paws onto the table, nudging the plate with his nose.

"Hey!" Dedede took the plate and held it up, out of Pikachu's reach. "Get out of here! Don't you have a Charizard to harass or something!"

Pikachu turned his attention to Dedede himself, using a tactic that was irresistible to everyone else he had tried it on. He pressed up against Dedede, rubbing against him much like an affectionate cat. He even gave a sort of purr. "Chaaa…"

This seemed to work for a moment. "Wh-wha…?" Dedede set the plate down, but then got over the surprise of having a mouse-esque creature acting like he was his owner, and the greatest one ever at that. He pushed Pikachu away. "Nuh-uh. That's not going to work. Maybe on Peach because she's a sucker like that, but not me."

Pikachu stopped, sitting back into the chair. _Fine then_, he thought. _Watch me strip your dignity away even faster._

The last resort was a secret weapon, even though Pikachu was far from the first to use it, nor would he be the last. He blinked hard a few times, forcing his eyes to water up a little bit. It wasn't needed, but a glossy gaze did help. He stared up, directly at Dedede, giving him a heart-melting look.

Dedede stared back. He wanted to shove Pikachu off the chair now, but… Seriously, he was staring into his _soul_! He couldn't break eye contact now.

Pikachu saw it in his eyes. The 'oh crap, this thing _is_ cute and I made it sad' look that a pair of puppydog eyes tended to grab. He was prepared to milk it as much as possible for the food, and whimpered sadly.

Dedede shook his head, trying to ignore Pikachu, but it was too late to stop. He made a small grunt of disapproval, but gulped nervously. _I'm getting soft, spending time with all these guys. Dammit!_

Pikachu's lower lip trembled, and he leaned towards Dedede, tugging gently at his robe. "P-pipipi…"

This wibbling completely did it, and caused Dedede to look away, cursing under his breath. "Okay, okay, fine! Stop acting so depressed!" Dedede grabbed the pretzel, which was still mostly warm, and put it near Pikachu's mouth. "Take a bite, I don't care!" Happily, the rodent took a small bite, and as he swallowed, Dedede couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. "…I guess that wasn't so bad…"

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu smiled, looking like he had just won the lottery and was getting paid in chocolate.

He then chomped down on the pretzel, and ran off and out of the kitchen, leaving Dedede with just a small piece left. There was a moment of stunned silence, before…

"_Get back here you little swindler, before I punt you across a football field!_" Dedede yelled as he gave chase, hammer raised threateningly. Pikachu had no time to wonder just where he got that from, and focused on fleeing with his prize.


	4. Makeover Time?

Thanks for the reviews! I think I might update frequently, if the chapters stay so short.

Question, though, is it just me, or does the Document Editor not like it when you try to bold _and_ underline something? Hm. It shows up just fine until I save changes, it looks like.

* * *

"Peach. What did you do?" Popo spoke in a near monotone, surprised at the sight before him.

Peach just grinned, hands on the shoulders of a young girl in front of her. Her short brown hair was tied into one little pigtail, held into an updo with a white barrette. Make-up had been lightly applied to her face, making her look a lot more mature. She wore a pink dress, complemented with white lace-up shoes and a pink bow sash around her waist.

She seemed rather confused as to whether she liked this look or not.

"What _did_ you do to Nana?" Diddy asked, looking her over.

Peach gave a light-hearted laugh. "Well, I convinced her she didn't need to run around in such hot clothes all the time, but I got a look at her casual clothes. She needed some new wardrobe badly, and one thing led to another…"

Nana chuckled nervously. The two boys were starting to weird her out a little, with the way they were staring in shock.

"Did you really have to give her such a drastic makeover, though?" Popo ungloved a hand, and gently touched one of Nana's cheeks with a finger, causing her to pull back.

"Don't do that!" Peach scolded. "You'll wipe away the blush!"

"Make-up is the least of her worries," Diddy muttered. "…Is that _apple_ I smell coming off of her?"

"Okay, okay, I had her sample some perfume, too…" Peach admitted.

"Sample? She smells like you poured the whole thing on!" Diddy pushed his point across by leaning in slightly, taking a whiff.

"It's nice to know you care so much about how I smell," Nana deadpanned. This was proof that it really was the female Ice Climber, and not just some random girl with a passing resemblance to her.

"Can you two show her at least a little bit of respect?" Peach sighed.

"Peach, thank you, honestly," Nana said, looking back and up at her. "I can deal with them myself. You can go back and tend to the garden. I'm sorry I got you distracted from that."

"Oh, that's right! The flowers! Have fun, Nan'!" Peach gave her a quick hug, then went down the hall, a skip in her step.

"…She really needs to stick to one task at a time," Nana muttered once she was out of earshot.

"That's our Nana," Popo smiled, patting her on the back.

"Are you going to keep that look?" Diddy questioned, now keeping his distance after Nana's quip towards him.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'll have to see how the other guys react to this."

Diddy saw Popo roll his eyes. Nana had a bit of an issue when it came to being attracted to several different Smashers. Lately, though, she had stopped with the fleeting crushes and had gotten a more long-standing infatuation in their place. This didn't even count the stupid two-way crush she and Popo shared but never acted upon. _Dixie and I were never like this. Why must my friends be so fickle?_

Popo tried to not sound bitter at all, however. "I think you'd look a lot better with your hair down. You just aren't the kind of person to put for hair up, or at least show it."

"I don't know…" Nana lightly brushed her hand against her hair. "It's a bit nice, so maybe I can wear it like this under a hood. It tugs a little, though."

"Oh, is Peach converting you?"

Nana punched Popo in the arm for that comment. "Shut up! I'm just trying out her suggestions. I'm not about to follow in her sugar-filled footsteps."

"I don't know… You certainly look the part…" Diddy pinched the hem of one of her poofy sleeves. "Seriously. Lace, Nana? _Lace_?"

Nana smacked his hand away. "Don't you have a fight against Lucario today? You should go prepare."

"Fine, fine, I know when I'm not wanted!" Diddy began to leave, but not before looking back over his shoulder at her, smirking. "Let me know when you get a nice crown to top it all off, alright?"

He took off running on all fours, laughing, even as ice nipped his heels and tail, courtesy of Nana.


	5. Unlikeliest of Buddies

This is the first half of two connected stories. All I really have to say about this one is this: These two make hilarious friends, and I had a lot of fun writing this.

* * *

_Whoever set up the match brackets_, R.O.B. decided, _has a terrible sense of humor._

He had been staring at the match-ups on the screen for some time. Last-minute additions weren't that uncommon, so he only recently found out he had a fight scheduled for this day, at two in the afternoon.

However, it was a team battle. Dedede was his ally, and they were fighting against Wario and Ganondorf.

This qualified as a Very Bad Thing, in R.O.B.'s mind. Wario and Dedede would surely be too busy ripping each other apart - Dedede still hadn't gotten a break about the whole "stealing and eventually wrecking your ride" thing - which meant Ganondorf would likely be targeting R.O.B.. This spelled all kinds of trouble. R.O.B. both feared him and hated him. He had good reason to, after how the Gerudo king had given the orders that wiped out the last of the other R.O.B.s.

Geez. R.O.B. needed to get out of this match, and fast. He whirled around, ready to call the Smash Association and protest loudly, when he found himself bumping into someone. He let out a screeching beep in surprise, which reminded him that a lack of a voice would hamper such an attempt rather significantly, anyway.

"Ow! R.O.B., what the heck?"

Oh. Dedede. Joy. While R.O.B. was now on friendly terms with him, he was still easily annoyed by his boisterous nature. Combined with the fact that Dedede was also in this spar, and that R.O.B. was quite anxious over the whole thing, he was not in the mood to listen.

Dedede, unfortunately, wasn't about ready to let his partner run off upset, and blocked R.O.B.'s way when he tried to leave. "Oh, no, you don't. What's wrong? It's about the match, isn't it?"

R.O.B. looked back at the screen mounted on the wall, and nodded sadly. He tried to get away again, but this time Dedede stopped him by grabbing him firmly by the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll keep the lardbucket busy. You can concentrate on Ganondorf," Dedede smiled. However, he saw R.O.B. shut his eyes, which he had learned by now was a sign that he was getting upset. "Huh? What, are you scared of him or something?"

R.O.B. opened his eyes, and looked right at Dedede. He remembered that time on the cliffside, where he and Zelda had provided comfort for R.O.B.. But, Zelda was busy in her own fight against Yoshi right now, and Dedede hadn't exactly been tactful without her help.

"You're kidding. You can't seriously be intimidated by him! He's easy. Pie-with-whipped cream easy! I mean, seriously, you're faster than all of us, and–" Dedede stopped here, remembering a key detail about R.O.B.'s past association with Ganondorf. "Oh. _Oh_. _That_ thing."

Very tactful. R.O.B. couldn't help but wonder if he should reconsider who he thought of as friends.

"So, what? Are you chickening out because you don't have the guts to face him in battle?" Dedede only got R.O.B. hanging his head in shame as a response. "R.O.B.? Seriously, now?"

R.O.B. might have spoken back if he could have, the keywords being "might have". But he couldn't string a coherent mental reply together to begin with, so he stayed silent, not daring to look at Dedede.

Dedede rolled his eyes, before whistling for a few seconds in an attempt to fake innocence. This was generally regarded by everyone else as a Bad Sign. "_Well_," he started, drawing out the first word, "if you _really_ want to avoid this match, you should know that only illness and injury can cancel a fight. And since robots can't get sick as far as I know, you're stuck with going for an injury…" Dedede moved both hands onto one of R.O.B.'s arms. "Come on, I'll break your arm for you, then. Favor from your best bud, am I right?"

R.O.B. wasn't slow in perking up, yanking his arm out of Dedede's grip, and backing away.

"Yeah, I thought so." Dedede held back the urge to laugh, although R.O.B. still saw the corners of his mouth twitch. "Now, listen, I want you to _show up_, alright? Don't turn coward just because Ganondorf's there. Remember, _I'm_ on your side. I'll help you gang up on him, a'ight?"

R.O.B. knew the alternative would likely end in a broken arm, and just nodded nervously.

"Good. I'll see you there. Don't worry, we won't lose!" Dedede grinned, slapping R.O.B. on the back with almost enough force to knock him down, and walked away, sure that his "persuasion" had worked flawlessly.

R.O.B. was already getting second _and_ third thoughts about this, but he had just made a promise, didn't he? It was a promise to someone who could be completely serious about snapping some very important body parts, too. Failure to uphold his word would be a foolish choice.

-0-

"See? What'd I tell ya? _What'd I tell ya_?"

If R.O.B. had a mouth, he'd be grinning wildly at this point.

He and Dedede were leaving the arena quickly, avoiding the rage of Ganondorf and Wario; Mario was busy making sure they stayed behind long enough for the two to get away. Technically, the one monitoring the fight wasn't actually required to keep the sore losers from murdering the winners, but it was a bit of an unspoken custom now.

They rushed down the halls, R.O.B. following Dedede. He realized they were headed for the living rooms, which was a bit odd. Wouldn't that be the first place the others would think of looking for them in? Or, was there a more pressing matter to be addressed here?

The question was answered when Dedede sauntered into the room, where several people were relaxing. "'Sup, guys? Guess who just totally kicked Wario's ass, alongside Ganondorf's?" Despite being met with silence, Dedede threw his hands up, as if trying to hush a crowd cheering for him. "Thank you, thank you, oh, you're too kind!"

"Hooray," Popo replied, unenthusiastically. Next to him, Nana giggled.

"I can't take _all_ the credit, of course!" Dedede then elbowed R.O.B.. "This guy can be a real scrapper, you know. Folks, remember, no pissing off R.O.B.!"

R.O.B. shook his head, but was only slightly annoyed by this. He appreciated Dedede's efforts to cheer him up, even if his etiquette needed some work.

"Okay, people, to celebrate? We're going out for drinks, my treat!"

Now, _this_ got people's attention. Drinking nights had become uncommon once they had been forced to go to a pricier bar, so it was more of a nice treat than usual these days.

"Can R.O.B. even drink _water_, much less beer?" Captain Falcon questioned.

Dedede shrugged. "I don't think so, but that doesn't mean he can't come with me! That should be honor enough on its own!" R.O.B. elbowed him for this. "Ow!"

"What about me?" Nana spoke up. "Me and Popo are sixteen; we can't go to the bar!"

"Well, boo hoo for you. I'm not changing my plans for you two, so there," Dedede replied, causing both Ice climbers to blow raspberries at him. "For the rest of you, I'll meet you outside at six. If you're late, too bad, we're leaving you behind." Dedede left, presumably to go get prepared.

In the wave of murmurs that came afterwards, R.O.B. was as silent as he had always been, and always would be. No one was quite sure what he was thinking at this point. If they did, though, they would have known that he was quite glad someone at the association had that terrible sense of humor.


	6. I Swear to Drunk, I'm Not God

This is the continuation of the last chapter. I think it's one of the few stories here that's really rated T, since it involves a pair of drunken fools, as well as one little glossed-over incident at the end.

I fixed some errors in the last chapter, too. Thanks for catching that.

* * *

"Uh, miss?"

Samus tensed up when a bar employee came up to her and Zelda. "What did they do now?"

The employee blinked, at a loss of words for this reaction, but went on anyway after recovering from his surprise. "Two of the gentlemen you entered with have become rowdy. I'm sorry, but they have to leave. They're too drunk to go alone, as well, so you must arrange for someone in your group to take them home. I-I apologize for the inconvenience, ladies…"

"Don't apologize," Samus said, coming off a bit colder than she had intended. "It's not your fault our friends are idiots."

"Thank you. Samus, let's go." Zelda led the way, hoping the guys hadn't left the area she last saw them at. They rushed towards the serving counter, and could only see one recognizable person. Already, this was a bad sign.

"I'm cool to have more!" Bowser told the bartender, who just shook his head. Bowser's speech was affected at this point, and he was speaking slowly.

Samus picked up the pace, and the two women reached him at about the same time. "Bowser? Where's Dedede?"

"Him? Oh… I think he said somethin' about checking out ladies. Or something."

"That can't end well," Zelda sighed. "Samus, go find the others, and tell them I need someone to come help leave early and escort them back. And, _please_, find Dedede before he gets into another bar fight!" As Samus nodded and left, Zelda approached Bowser. "It's time to go. They're kicking you out."

"What? Why?" Bowser had seemed to have calmed down since the employee saw him, but was back to being loud.

"You're too drunk to stay," she explained.

"I am not! I'm only a little tipsy!" Bowser slammed his fist onto the table, denting the wood slightly and causing the glasses nearby to clatter, one of them falling over. Although it was empty, Zelda hoped it didn't crack.

"Yeah, no. Bowser, we're leaving." Zelda grabbed him by the arm, which turned out to be a mistake.

"I'll leave when I'm good and ready!" Bowser yanked away with enough force to cause Zelda to fall to the ground. Smoke was coming out of his nostrils now, which was the signal to start using force before he burned something down.

Zelda got up, and began to back away, ready to defend herself. She jumped a little when she bumped into someone, and looked behind her, seeing R.O.B.. "Oh, thank goodness. Bowser's getting upset all over again… I need some back-up, if you don't mi–"

She was then drowned out by the sound of a crowd 'oooh'ing simultaneously, and all three of them whipped around to look, realizing it was on the other end of the bar.

"Ohh, dear, this is bad. R.O.B., can you handle Bowser on your own?" The robot nodded to her question. "Thank you," Zelda said quickly, before running to see what had happened. She had a pretty good idea who was at the center of attention.

Indeed, several bar-goers were surrounding a pair of people. One was a rather burly man, easily passing six feet tall. He was butting heads – figuratively, thankfully – with Dedede. Both men seemed to be wasted. As she got closer, she heard Dedede say something about a "contest of manliness". Zelda was thankful she hadn't developed notable telepathy powers, although she didn't think the thoughts she'd send would hurt Dedede's feelings. _Au contraire_, he was a big enough boy to handle the swear words.

"Move, _move_!" Zelda hissed as she pushed past people, forgetting her manners in her panic. Already, the two had moved to the wall, facing it, by the time she caught up to them. "Dedede! What are you doing?"

"Oh… Hey there, Zelly!" Dedede greeted, his voice drawling. "I'm provin' my masculinity! Wish me luck, honey!"

Zelda might have said something about the nicknames if she wasn't more concerned with what he was doing. "Are you about to have another 'Skullbash the Walls' contest? Dedede, you _know_ what happened last time!"

The last time it happened, Dedede had actually been up against Bowser and Wario. The Smashers were consequentially banned from that particular bar after the three caused a significant portion of the wall to collapse and the establishment was forced to shut down for repairs.

"Yeah, and I won!" Dedede grinned, not seeming to remember managing to get his head through the wall.

"Come on, stop flirting with your girlfriend!" the guy next to him snapped. "You go first; it's _your_ idea!"

Zelda lost sight of her goal at that remark. "I am _not_ his girl–"

She remembered _why_ she had tried to intervene when Dedede slammed his forehead into the wall, as hard as he could. He stumbled back in pain, before collapsing, and everyone around them whooped (except for Samus and Captain Falcon, who had also joined the crowd). Thankfully, the walls here were made of brick, and not the weaker plaster the last one had.

Zelda quickly ran to him, checking him over. Blood was dripping from a cut on his forehead, caused by the gold trim of his hat, and she groaned. "Let this be a lesson; before you decide to do something foolish with so much alcohol running in your blood, at least make sure you don't have anything metal on you." She removed his hat, much to his annoyance, and looked around. "I need a napkin or two, please."

"Here," Captain Falcon offered some, and Zelda used it to clean up, as R.O.B. appeared with a semi-conscious Bowser leaning on him.

"R.O.B., I'm glad you're–" Zelda's eyes narrowed when she realized the front of him had been scratched up. It didn't look very deep, however, and she saw no wires showing, so she wasn't too terribly worried.

"What happened to Dedede?" Mario asked, now joining the group.

"Contest of manliness," Zelda said as she put Dedede's hat back on, putting a folded napkin between it and his wound as a makeshift bandage. She then pulled him up, letting him lean against her with an arm around her shoulders, in a manner similar to Bowser. Unlike R.O.B., she had a harder time staying upright, but thankfully, Dedede was mostly alert and could walk. "Sorry, us four need to leave. I'll see you guys tomorrow." After quick goodbyes were exchanged, she and R.O.B. began to take the other two outside.

"Heeey…" Dedede protested as he was led away, but didn't do anything to resist.

They could hear the other man saying "Does this mean I win by default?" as they left the bar.

"You know," Zelda began, "I would really like to go out drinking without at least one of us having to be kicked out."

"I was kicked out for no good reason," Bowser droned, still convinced he was relatively sober. R.O.B. shook his head.

"You attacked R.O.B.," she responded. Thankfully, the apartments weren't too far from this bar, so they could walk the whole way. Then again, they were dealing with two drunks much larger than them, so it wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

"I didn't _attack_ him. I was swatting at a fly and he got in the way."

"I find that hard to bel– _Hey!_"

Before R.O.B. and Bowser knew what just happened, Dedede was on the ground, having just been shrugged off by Zelda.

"Watch your hands! I don't care how drunk you are!"

"But… You're so huggable!"

"No!" Zelda helped him up and allowed him to lean against her again, but this time she kept a tight grip on both of his hands to make sure he didn't try anything again. "…Sad part is, it's not the drinking itself that's to blame," she continued. "It's who we go out with."

"Aww, come on, Zelly, you can't say you don't think I'm hilarious when I'm plastered!" Dedede laughed.

Zelda hid her smile from everyone; he was right, after all.


	7. Maternal Instinct

This one covers Nana and Zelda. One thing to note of is this interpretation of how the transition from Melee to Brawl affected the LoZ characters. To put it simply, the OoT Link and Zelda had transferred many of their powers and memories to the TP Link and Zelda shortly before leaving the Smash world, possibly for good. Ganondorf was just taken from a later point in time, but is still the same person.

Also, a lot of credit goes to BabyCharmander for beta-reading for me. Thanks!

* * *

She had been teasingly called a mother hen by those around her. Zelda never minded such a term. In fact, she wore it somewhat proudly, like a medal. But, of course, it meant she would have to act the part of a mother hen, even towards a girl she saw as quite mature.

Nana always did have her tendency to go through a roller coaster of emotions. However, she had been upset for the past few days - uncharacteristically quiet. Popo seemed to be feeling the same way, but whatever was affecting them, he had shrugged it off much quicker than she had.

Thus, Zelda did what she felt was right, and pulled Nana away to talk in private, under the premise that they were making cookies.

"I know raw dough isn't the healthiest of things, but…" As Zelda finished breaking up the chunks of premade cookie dough, she handed a piece to Nana and kept one for herself to eat.

"Thanks." Nana smiled, popping it into her mouth. She watched as Zelda finished arranging the remaining pieces on the pan, before sliding it into the oven.

"We'll check back in about twenty minutes," Zelda stated. "I'm really glad you agreed to this, Nana. I wanted to make cookies for you."

"Any particular reason?" she asked, moving to the large dining table within view of the kitchen.

Zelda followed, knowing she was at the point where she needed to tread carefully. "You looked a little sad yesterday, so I decided the cookies might cheer you up!"

"Oh."

Zelda looked over at her as they sat down, unsure if she had hit a defense against her or not. The only way to find out was to press on. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Nana laughed weakly. "Only if you're willing to hear some whining."

Zelda was not fazed by how blunt she was, having learned to deal with others and their own brutal honesty. "I am. After all, I'm Dedede's 'right-hand woman,' according to him."

Oops. She mentally scolded herself for bringing him up. It wasn't a secret that Nana had had a crush on him for several months now, and she was definitely one of the more emotional of the Smashers.

It didn't seem that this was the root of Nana's problems this time, however, as she just snorted in response. "You have the patience of a saint, Zelly. Well, anyway, I guess I'm just getting a bit feverish lately. I'm still not used to summers here."

"That's right. You hail from a more arctic climate, don't you?"

"Yeah, with snow and stuff." Nana began to play with a paper towel left on the table. "I guess you could say I'm a little homesick, too."

It was more than understandable. Everyone here was away from their element, and they were so far from their homelands. Some came from different worlds, or even different galaxies! It was true that a lot of those who had responsibilities at home would travel back every few months, Zelda included. But, aside from that, this was where they lived for the few years a Smash Season would last. This didn't always mean it was true home, however.

"You can ask the association for a vacation," Zelda pointed out. "You and Popo haven't taken one yet this season, so you have that in your favor."

"Maybe. I haven't seen Dad in a while," Nana admitted.

There was a pause before Zelda decided to continue the conversation. "Your parents must be so proud of you. You entered the tournaments at such a young age… You were twelve, I heard?"

"Yeah. Three years for the Melee season, one year on break." The paper towel was now being twisted and torn, especially once Zelda mentioned parents. "Dad really likes what I've done. Says I get it from Mom."

"Does she agree?"

There was just silence, and Zelda knew she had stepped on a land mine of a subject.

"…I'm sorr–"

"Don't. Just don't," Nana interrupted, putting the torn paper down. "She would be. I know it."

The smell of cookies was beginning to waft throughout the kitchen, but it did nothing to hide the air of tension. Still, the nagging thoughts of Zelda's loss of her own parents pushed her to keep talking. "…If you don't want to answer, that's okay. But what happened?"

"Climbing accident," she replied. "She and Popo's dad were partners. Pretty popular in our village. Their gear failed to work during one of their expeditions, though. I…I was ten. Both of us were. We hadn't spoken much before then, but after the funerals…"

Ten. Zelda had been eleven when her own mother caught pneumonia and died. She was able to relate to what Nana must have felt, and why she acted the way she did now. "You and Popo took on mountain climbing in their footsteps, didn't you?" Nana nodded. "I understand completely. I followed my parents' leads, too."

"Yeah, but you _had_ to," Nana pointed out. "You were the only one left to run your kingdom. Me? I was pegged to be a vet or maybe a livestock farmer!"

"I could have not followed _how_ they ruled, however," Zelda elaborated. "I could have been greedy. Ruthless. Unjust." Power corrupted. Zelda knew that, and had spent much of the past few years trying to correct its wrongs in other people.

"Mm, I guess so." A long silence followed, and Zelda was about ready to end the conversation now. Then, Nana blurted out something. "Sorry! I just… It's really awkward, talking to you sometimes! I try not to be cold or anything, but…"

"What's wrong?"

"You're… I mean, you _act_ like her, _talk_ like her, but you don't _look_ like her. You just _aren't _the other Zelda."

So. Was that how Nana saw her at times? Zelda sighed, unable to find a response, for once. In a way, Nana had every right to find this awkward. Like she had said, this Zelda was not the one from last season. The first Zelda who participated had been the one to witness the rise of Ganondorf in her time and the one to introduce the idea of the princesses disguising themselves as a Sheikah warrior. During the planning stage for the Brawl season, however, Master Hand sent her and her Link back home, replacing them with counterparts from a different time.

It didn't matter that the current one was a descendant of the last one. It didn't matter that they had practically merged for a few seconds to give her the blessings of the Goddesses and the form of a Sheikah. This Zelda was new, and Nana couldn't get past that.

"I don't blame you, really. It was odd, when I started out. She gave me her memories, but they mingled a lot with mine. I had so many memories of being Peach's best friend, but at the same time, I knew I wasn't."

Nana hung her head for a moment. "I'm glad you're not upset about it. I was pretty close to the older Zelda. She…could relate to me, the same way you could."

In other words, that particular princess had also lost her mother, this time at a tender age of nine. It seemed that the daughters of the Royal Family, despite all the amazing things they could do, led fragile lives. Zelda accepted that one day, she herself might die before her own children came far into adolescence.

Suddenly, she experienced a feeling that, maybe, Nana's mother might have also felt in her final moments. Fear of leaving someone behind in the world, to face tomorrow alone. The end was merciful to its victims, but could be torturous to the ones close by.

Zelda could not find words to express this, and did something that always seemed to get the point across. She reached out and hugged Nana hard. The Ice Climber stiffened at first, but soon eased into the embrace. Perhaps she understood completely, now. Or, maybe she was just accepting the hug on the basis of it being a hug.

Silence came back once more when they parted, until Nana decided to explain things a little further. "Six years, on the dot. Well, it was on the dot two days ago, actually, but that's why Popo and I were upset. It always happens this time of year."

"I know that feeling," Zelda whispered. "I still cry a little whenever another year passes after the death of one of my parents."

"I guess it's a natural feeling, like coping or something like that," Nana chuckled. "Speaking of coping, comfort food should be done!"

"Maybe not for a couple minutes, but we'll check," Zelda smiled, and the pair got up to see how the cookies were doing. The tension was gone, leaving just the aroma of chocolate chip cookies.


	8. Protégé

Fun fact: The chant that occurs during the chapter is influenced by the Japanese version of Dedede's in-game audience cheer. I haven't heard it yet, but from what I've been told, it's quite funny.

This chapter was a bit late because Yahoo decided it'd be fun to eat mail. But, that's not important in the end. What is important is this little notice: I've slowed down on writing. I still have to sort through what I have already to see what's going in the story, what's likely getting developed into a separate oneshot, and what's not going public at all. Just giving a heads-up so the end won't be sudden (given the non-linear plot).

* * *

"This is simultaneously the worst thing ever and the best thing ever."

R.O.B. looked over at Nana, who was seated next to him, then back out at the arena, where a fight was beginning.

"Who challenged who?" Popo asked, sharing a bag of popcorn with Nana.

Yoshi, who was in the chair behind R.O.B., thought for a moment. "I didn't hear specifics; lots of yelling, kind of frightening. I think Dedede wanted the fight, but Bowser demanded it to be here."

The four were attending a live brawl, among a bunch of screaming fans. The noise only escalated when Bowser started off by trying to claw Dedede, just to hit his hammer head.

"My money's on Dedede," Nana stated, through a mouthful of popcorn. "I promised Falco forty coins if he loses, and I don't want to take another hit like that!"

"Wait, what? Nana, you told me Diddy had to borrow some money, and that's why you made me pay full price for the food!"

"Popcorn's not expensive anyway, Popo. Stop whining!"

R.O.B. watched the two begin to bicker, noting how Nana seemed to dismiss Popo's wants at times. He had been welcomed into this group the same time Dedede was. Back then, Nana had been a bit more willing to conform to others, although she still had a rebellious streak at times. Now, though, that changed, and it was obvious even to this newcomer.

The general consensus was that this was influence from Dedede. Initially, they had been somewhat cold to each other, but one day, Nana decided to change all that, asking for a training session. Since then, the two had become good friends. In a way, it seemed to resemble a brother-sister relationship.

That's how it looked like on the outside, at least. There was still the underlying unrequited crush, and everyone knew it. Neither of them were ever that good at keeping secrets.

Nana broke off the argument and yelped. "Oh, ouch! Bowser just smacked Dedede in the face with a Golden Hammer!" Just as she said this, he flew past the upper boundaries, and respawned back down on the stage. "You're kidding me! Already!"

"They're on two stocks, right?" Yoshi leaned forward a bit, trying to get a better view.

"Yeah, and he's already losing!" Popo groaned. All four of them were here to cheer on Dedede.

The odds evened back out when Dedede grabbed Bowser and knocked him past the side boundaries with his hammer, much like a golfball. R.O.B. wanted to focus on watching the match, but having three antsy companions created a distraction. With the way Nana seemed to make some kind of verbal response whenever Bowser managed to get a hit in on Dedede, it didn't take long for the robot's mind to wander back to her.

It wasn't unusual for others to have outfits that were similar to their usual wear aside from color, and Nana wasn't an exception. She had a red parka for some time, along with other colors, but didn't wear it often, preferring her pink clothes.

This past month, she had been seen wearing it six times, once in an actual match. Curiously enough, Dedede was in the fight right after hers; she stuck around to watch.

The way things were going, Nana was becoming more and more like Dedede. R.O.B. wasn't quite sure how to react. He was rarely on Dedede's bad side, but they had been friendly from the start. Nana might have been friends with Dedede and Zelda, both of whom had become important to R.O.B., but the robot hadn't actually gotten to know her. As Nana stood now, she seemed about as approachable as…

"Bowser!" she snapped, as if that'd make him stop. He now had Dedede pinned on the ground, and punched him once, then twice.

It was Yoshi's turn to yelp. "That's why everyone got all on edge when they challenged each other! Even I knew it'd get messy!"

R.O.B. decided trying to figure out how he viewed Nana could wait. He concentrated on seeing how the fight was going. Dedede found the strength to fight free, but was still reeling from the hits. Instead of counter-attacking, he focused on the defensive, shielding and dodging. Still, this was a technique he had yet to master, and Bowser still got a few blows in.

Popo stated the bluntly obvious. "He's gonna get his butt kicked."

"Hey!" Nana yelled out, standing from her seat. Popo glared at her, as she had knocked their popcorn over, but she didn't notice. She cupped her hands around her mouth, trying to make herself heard. "Dedede! If you lose, I will _hurt you_! Everyone, come on, cheer him on!"

R.O.B. was surprised at how determined Nana was, especially when she started a cheer.

"Dedede! Dedede! Dedededededede!" Nana chanted this over and over.

From the fight, Dedede looked over, still trying to fend off Bowser. Nana was rallying more and more support, and soon those on Dedede's side were getting involved in the cheer, which included Yoshi and Popo.

"Dedede! Dedede! Dedededededede!"

R.O.B. wanted to join the chant, but settled for pumping his arm enthusiastically, mirroring Nana's current actions. By now, the ones that came to watch Bowser win were either booing or starting their own cheer.

"Bowser! Bowser! Bowser!"

"Dedede! Dedede! Dedededededede!"

Admittedly, Nana's cheer had a better ring to it, but she had it easy.

Finally, Dedede was gaining the upper hand, meeting Bowser's swipes with swings from his hammer. He pulled off several hits in a row against him, sending him back a significant distance. Those rooting for him broke the chant, erupting into cheers. Nana gave a quiet, happy "Yes!" at this, but did not sit back down.

"Good work, there, Nan'," Popo commented. He was now on the edge of his seat. Yoshi was still leaning forward, hands on the backs of the seats in front of him, and R.O.B. was also standing, but only because he couldn't sit down properly in a chair.

"It's only good if he…" Nana trailed off, watching as Dedede's hammer opened up to reveal the jet inside. "Oh, you better use that full-blast!"

Indeed, she got her wish. Bowser was still stunned from an earlier attack, and the hammer had been charged completely. By the time he realized what was going to happen, it made contact with his gut, sending him flying out of the boundaries. The booming voice of the announcer came to life on the loudspeakers, with one word. "Game!"

Nana squealed in happiness, and did a rather foolhardy move: She shoved past those in the row, down the stairs aisle, and jumped over the chain-link fence that separated audience from stage. Popo quickly followed, with Yoshi on his trail. The reptilian was singing something, although no words could be identified; R.O.B. was inclined to think he was just repeating "Yay" over and over.

R.O.B. decided to go after them, hovering over the front few rows and the fence to save time. Once he caught up with them, he was met with the sight of Nana hugging Dedede tightly. Normally, he would have likely pushed her away, but as R.O.B. got closer, he could hear why he allowed this to continue. "You were awesome, too!" he laughed, returning the hug before Nana pulled away. "I heard you get everyone to start cheering me on! That was great!"

Nana seemed happy with this praise, but Popo decided to make a comment. "Are you sure you're not just happy because you love getting your ego stroked?"

"Hey. _Hey_. She's not just ego food, okay? Stop being so protective of your girlfriend, alright?"

"Popo and I are not dat–"

"Can real food be ego food?" Yoshi asked, seemingly unaware of the real topic at hand.

R.O.B. watched this exchange occur. He still wasn't sure how much he liked Nana. She still had the air of rebelliousness and fangirlism to her. Yet, today, he had learned of a few of her traits that were more than just admirable: Determination and loyalty. Speaking of determination…

"Hey, guys," Popo spoke up. He pointed to Bowser, who had just gotten done chewing out a few Koopas that came to check on him after respawning. He was now beginning to storm over to the group. "Let's get out of here before he breaks our faces, okay?"

"Can we stop by a pizzeria on the way?" Nana asked. Popo nodded, and they high-fived.

R.O.B. wasn't quite sure of the legalities of accompanying a fighter from a live match away from the arena before he was officially dismissed. However, he chose to listen to impulse this time, like Nana and Dedede, and joined the others on this little escape.


	9. Raining Hammers

I tried this a couple times in-game. It is extremely chaotic and causes people to get KO'ed left and right.

* * *

Zelda had been assigned to monitor and maintain this particular fight. This meant having to follow the guidelines set when this match was created, and making sure everything was in working order.

At first, she thought it was odd how the only items were Hammers, Golden Hammers, and Smash Balls, set on a high rate. The four – five, technically – combatants all had hammers of their own anyway, so what was the point of providing them with only more hammers and the occasional Final Smash?

Zelda would quickly learn that this was a lot better than it sounded.

She activated the stage set-up from the control panel where she was seated, and watched as the stage transformed into the simple Battlefield. It came complete with the illusion that they were now outside, day progressing into night and back at a much faster rate than reality. She then spoke into a microphone, using the loudspeaker. "Are you all ready?"

"Get on with it!" Dedede replied. The hidden microphones around the stage allowed sound from the fight to be heard.

Zelda made sure the headphones that allowed her to hear this were adjusted properly, before speaking. "On my count… Three, two, one, go!"

Almost immediately, Nana and Popo locked arms, using their left hands to grip their hammers tightly as they spun into Mr. Game and Watch, hitting him multiple times. By now, everyone had learned not to question how a 2D person was able to interact with them, lest they risk triggering a headache.

Meanwhile, Dedede had thrown out a Waddle Doo from seemingly nowhere. Kirby quickly fixed this situation by swallowing it whole, although his abilities were modified in the arena so that he'd only get powers from fighters.

So far, so normal, Zelda thought. However, she knew things would get interesting, as a Hammer had just spawned.

Kirby was closest to it, and grabbed it. Nana had wandered too closely, and was knocked back far as he swung at her. The properties of the Hammer kicked in now, and it was practically moving on its own, with Kirby merely giving it some direction. He started chasing down the pair of Ice Climbers, just as another Hammer appeared.

Mr. Game and Watch took this one, but the hammer head fell off it after the first few swings. Still, the stick retained the momentum for a while longer, giving Dedede the chance to grab the fallen hammer head and throw it at him. This stunned Mr. Game and Watch, causing him to drop the stick. He recovered from this, however, and used Judge, hammer in one hand, sign in the other. As it connected, the number five appeared on the sign, and Dedede was sent upwards as a jolt of electricity went through him. He then landed on the platform above, just as a Golden Hammer spawned there.

"Oh, Din," Zelda sighed as Dedede picked it up and started swinging it wildly. It _and_ his other hammer. Was two hammers at once even _legal_? This could not end well.

Indeed, as more and more Hammers and Golden Hammers started piling up, it seemed everyone had one at all times. If they didn't, they were now starting to exclusively use their own hammers. People were sent flying every few seconds, given the massive power of what they had at their disposal.

Zelda watched Popo avenge Nana's knockout by returning the favor to Dedede. She looked on as Mr. Game and Watch came up to Popo when he later had a squeaky Golden Hammer and shot him far past the top boundaries, scoring a nine with Judge. She got to see Dedede finally 'clobber that there Kirby' with the strength of the jet inside his hammer, just to have a recently respawned pair of Ice Climbers rush him with Squall Hammer, and then get shot out of the boundaries by Mr. Game and Watch's new Hammer. Zelda knew no one could see her due to the morphed arena's illusions. This was probably for the best; she had her hands over her mouth and was giggling quite a bit.

It got even better as the Smash Balls appeared. Kirby had just respawned after the first showed up, and was closest to it. He slammed it with his own hammer a few times until it broke. Only a split second after his eyes turned into a golden color did he activate his Final Smash, with a cooking pot, utensils, and a chef's hat appearing out of thin air.

With a few clangs of the pan and spatula in his hands, all four other fighters, along with two Golden Hammers and no less than five regular Hammers – not including any already in use – were in the pot. They simmered for a seconds, before being rocketed out violently, all enough to earn some shiny new knockout points for Kirby. However, the pot also expelled many, many Golden Hammers, and now everyone had one. At the same time.

To say the next thirty or so seconds were chaotic was a massive understatement.

Mr. Game and Watch had gotten the second Smash Ball, and suddenly, the onslaught of hammers did nothing to stop him when he was in his octopus form. Even though he didn't add anything to the actual hammer aspect of the fight, it caused an interesting scenario where the other four kept trying to flee him. Kirby was unsuccessful at this, and has hit hard by a tentacle, ending up shot out of the boundaries. But as Mr. Game and Watch reverted back to his true form, Nana was ready to greet him with a Hammer to the face.

It went on like this for almost another minute, until the automatic timer was almost done, with the final countdown starting. _Five, four…_

Zelda 'aww'ed in disappointment. Three minutes went by far too quickly.

…_Three, two…_

She'd have to request a fight like this again. Anonymously, of course, so that the higher ups would think it was a fan asking for it. Fan requests usually had more priority over things Smashers themselves asked for.

…_One…Time!_

Mr. Game and Watch couldn't do much to stop the momentum of the swing of his hammer, and thus Popo was sent flying right at the end, although it did not count as a point. He reappeared on the restoration platform shortly before the stage returned to normal, falling down next to Nana.

Zelda looked at the screen, which had automatically kep track of the scores. She brought the loudspeaker to life once more. "Nana, Popo, you won this match!"

However, with the way Kirby and Nana were hugging and laughing, how Dedede and Mr. Game and Watch had high-fived, and how Popo just jumped up and down cheerfully, perhaps gaining the most points didn't matter this time.


	10. Heavy is the Crown

The idea of Zelda having some empathy powers has always appealed to me for some reason. It's not too much of a stretch for the _potential_, but there's no real basis for it. For that reason, I try not to make it anything big (at most, she'd glean emotions a person is otherwise successfully hiding).

This is the second-to-last chapter. Personally, I think eleven's a bit of an odd number to end it on, but I don't care that much. The last one will include all of the main four.

* * *

Zelda sat next to the second-story banister, trying to ignore the voices below. However, her ears were highly sensitive, and even as she tried to hum and block everyone out, curiosity began to take over.

She could hear the usual late-night banter. They came from the living room, quite some distance away, and the voices mixed until she could only get snippets of conversation. There was no clear distinction between who spoke.

"You should be going to bed." "I have _two_ matches tomorrow." "You're utterly insufferable." "I want to stay up tonight." "I don't think she realizes what she does when she rejects me." "He's an utter fool."

She was done eavesdropping. Zelda pulled herself up, feeling the banister creak uncertainly as she used it to help. There needed to be some home improvements to this place. Still, she was grateful just for the shelter, even if it wasn't anything like Hyrule Castle. Zelda had made so many friends here. She would do anything for them.

Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration. A date with a non-Link person was still out of the question.

Otherwise, though, she had grown to think of many of the others as family. She found the siblings she never had, as well as the children she wanted one day. Between confiding in Peach about her troubles, trying to keep the youngest ones under control, and just spending time with those she held closest, she was finding it easier to read body language.

Zelda didn't have highly-developed telepathy. In a desperate situation, she'd probably be able to open a brief connection, but she wouldn't be able to use it often, as Lucario and Mewtwo did. Her inherited powers did manifest in a second way to make up for that, however. She had keen senses, and if she focused just right, she could actually figure out a person's emotions. The more she knew a person, the better the likelihood that she'd be correct.

Zelda placed a hand on the cold doorknob, about to go into her room. The bits and pieces of conversation came back to her, and this time, she held her breath, just to keep herself from shivering. Her empathy, however slight, came at a price.

Being a bit of a bleeding-heart to begin with did not help with what sometimes happened. Zelda would pick up on the little things, and realize someone was upset. With her tendency to put herself in one's shoes, this occasionally extended their poor mood to her. At first, it was just a minor annoyance. She didn't know everyone well enough to know what could be under the mask, if there was one. Once she learned more of people's pasts, though, she could sense deeper feelings a lot easier - whether she wanted to or not.

It hurt sometimes, to be honest.

A flowery scent greeted her when she entered her room. On Peach's dresser were freshly-picked white irises, and Zelda couldn't help but coo in surprise. She hadn't seen those lately, outside of the garden. Slowly, she made her way to her roommate's vase, to get a better look.

Zelda knew that she couldn't buckle just because a few people kept having bad days. Too many people looked up to her, for all sorts of reasons. She was the mother figure, the calm beauty, the quiet one who held great powers.

Once in a great while, though, she felt like she couldn't handle it. It was a tad depressing, actually. She could lead a whole kingdom and not feel too flustered unless something truly bad went down. Yet, when she was left to help her friends rise above their problems, the strain could wear her out easily.

Her thoughts came into a circle, now. Too many depended on her, and she couldn't just take the easy route out and let herself break. Just because she could take the whole "mile in your shoes" thing to a different level, she didn't have to take on their issues as their own.

Correction. She could always do what she could to help. There were some for whom she could not help; their problem lied either with others or back at their homes. However, there were also others willing to accept whatever she gave.

Zelda walked to her bed, falling onto it in a rather unprincessly manner. She _had_ tired herself out a little that day, between a three-way Coin Match and shopping for ice cream with Yoshi and Kirby. She'd be better off getting some rest, rather than dwelling on her thoughts.

She fell asleep shortly afterwards, smiling to herself.


	11. Ille Iuxta Me

Well, it's the last chapter. Thank you all for reading the story all this time. A very special thank you to those that have helped with my grammar and such, and to BabyCharmander for being my beta for the second half of this.

I had fun with this, between funny interactions and emotional pieces. I hadn't really planned at first to have really serious chapters, thus why this originally had humor as a secondary genre, but eventually it panned out that way.

I'll likely have separate things later on down the road, but for now, enjoy the conclusion to Strength in Numbers!

* * *

_Audi famam illius  
Solus in hostes ruit  
Et patriam servavit._

_Audi famam illius  
Cucurrit quaeque  
Tetigit destruens._

-0-

A light breeze sent them all into shivers. It had always been a little cold up on this cliffside. This time, though, the wind also seemed to carry the voices of the lost. Voices that they never really knew, for some. Voices that, for others, didn't exist.

It was exactly one year after Tabuu had been defeated. Some Smashers were back home, reflecting on what had happened back then. Others were going on as normal, like it was just another day. Four had ventured back to this spot, wanting to pay their respects to everyone lost.

It was a given that R.O.B. would be here, and this meant Zelda and Dedede accompanied him as support. Nana was a last-minute addition to the group; she had intended to spend the day going out to the mall with Popo, but he had gotten sick. She tagged along, not wanting to be alone.

"I can't believe he got a bad _cold_ of all things," she muttered, playing with the petals of the poppies she held. Zelda had taken many of them from Peach's garden – with her permission, of course – and everyone was now holding a few.

"You should go first," Zelda said to R.O.B., backing away so that he stood closest to the edge.

R.O.B. wanted to speak and let them hear him and what he wanted to say about his people. He would never get to have that privilege, though. Still, he didn't want to think of such a self-centered thought, given why he was here. Although he did not blame himself for anything anymore, a part of him would always feel at least some guilt.

He stared out into the clear blue sky. By now, the warp in space had vanished, and the 'X' shape was gone, but it did nothing to recover the lost Island of the Ancients. R.O.B. still remained as the last of his kind, and he had played a hand in that fate, however unwilling he was. He had changed so much over the past year, though, aided by his new friends. And yet, some scars only faded over time – they never completely went away.

_I hope you've all forgiven me_, he thought. _I understand if some of you wouldn't, but…the best I can do is to live each day as you all would have: Happily. With others. I hope that, wherever you all are now, you're not suffering like you did before because of my mistake. Maybe I'll see you all again, but not right now…_

R.O.B. had kept the flowers pinned between his hands the whole time, and twisted his upper torso slightly. He then straightened out, quickly letting go. Aided by momentum and the wind, the red poppies fluttered down, to the ocean below. Everyone watched this until the flowers were no more than red specks, which vanished into the sea.

Zelda placed a hand on R.O.B.'s shoulder. "Who's next?"

"I'd…like to go." Dedede stepped forward, next to R.O.B., who hadn't moved. "I didn't really know anyone personally, except for a lot of missing Waddle Dees… For all I know, though, they could just be hiding from me, back home. I'm pretty sure watching my castle here get broken into didn't really make them trust me as much as they used to."

Dedede went silent for a bit, absentmindedly kicking at some dirt. Only now did he realize how difficult it was to express his feelings in such a heartfelt way, like the others were doing.

"So, I guess it might be better to think about the ones we're sure didn't make it. I mean the audience from the arena in the sky. That…just really opened my eyes to what Tabuu was planning, ya know? Before it was just, 'Your army's attacking me so you must be bad.' Then it became, 'You're destroying our world, and I'm one of the few who even knows you exist.' So, um…"

He wasn't good at this. At all. Dedede cleared his throat, and threw the flowers out, letting them fall down to join R.O.B.'s. He felt relieved when the other three gave him nods of approval.

"I didn't really know about the civilian deaths until right before we stormed Subspace," Nana admitted, walking up to join the others. "I, um, hope it's alright if I choose to remember people that didn't die during the invasion… I-if not, then ditto everything Dedede sai–"

"It's perfectly okay," Zelda assured. "If it's someone dear to you… Go on."

Nana sighed, sitting down on the edge. She stared down at the sea, hoping and failing to make out the dots that were the poppies. "I told Zelly this already, but it's because Mom died that I got so interested in mountain climbing. To carry on her legacy. The same goes for Popo, except it was his dad that died in that expedition. In a way, that accident is ultimately why I-I met you all… But, I still miss her. I really do. I wish… Maybe, if things wouldn't be so different if she was still around, maybe I'd…"

Nana choked up and decided she couldn't keep going.

"I'm sorry." With that, she dropped her flowers off, and got up without watching them fall, quickly moving behind the others so they couldn't see her fighting tears. She had told herself she wasn't going to get weepy, but fighting such a powerful emotion was easier said than done.

"Then, I'm last, I suppose…"

Zelda took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She still wasn't sure if her empathy had reached a clairvoyant level, but either way, the emotions here were overwhelming. She didn't know if it was because she was so close to the others, or because of the strong feelings they had.

"…I restate what you've all said, and what you didn't say, but maybe meant. Tabuu… He was so cold, getting innocent people involved. People out just to have a day of fun were killed by a bomb. Almost an entire race of intelligent, sapient robots were wiped out. We all had been affected, in some way. By the Goddesses, he enslaved Master Hand! He's still _missing_! How is a world supposed to hide the scars of _that_!"

Zelda's voice raised on the last few sentences, and yet she still heard the faint snapping of the flower stems, from when her hand tightened. She loosened her grip again, trying to clear her head.

"…Not just here. That people have suffered, I mean. My army, my own people… They looked up to me, you know? They were so shocked when I surrendered… A-and I was still the last one standing, after what I did. They weren't gone forever, but when it happened, I felt so alone, so scared…"

Everyone was surprised. Zelda was the strong one. The one who kept a level head. The idea of her being so upset was hard to wrap their minds around. Dedede wished that he hadn't taken her for granted so much, while R.O.B. once again found his kindred spirit, in her. And Nana saw her own reflection, of someone with her own vulnerability.

Zelda released her hold, turning her palm up and tilting her hand down slightly. The breeze took over from here, taking the last of the poppies, and sending them to join the others.

"Nana!"

Zelda was snapped out of her reverie when Dedede suddenly cried out. She turned around in time to see Nana sink to her knees, crying. Even after everything, Nana was still not yet an adult. She was still as emotional as a child.

Slowly, Zelda moved to Nana, kneeling onto the ground next to her, and pulled her into a hug, shushing her. Dedede and R.O.B. then got an even bigger surprise: Tears were welling up in Zelda's eyes, threatening to starting flowing.

R.O.B. didn't want to see such an important person in his life become upset. He had no idea if she was crying for Nana, or crying for herself. He understood that the best thing any of them had was each other, however. He too moved in, arms around them. It wasn't the warm, soft embrace they were used to, but it didn't matter.

Dedede stared back out, to the ocean. Unlike R.O.B., who _couldn't_ cry, Dedede _wouldn't_ cry. It was true he had lost some parts of his pride ever since he joined almost a year ago. Actually breaking down into tears was one thing that he'd never allow himself to do. But, _other things_, on the other hand…

Not nearly as reluctant as he'd have wished to admit, he joined this group hug. "…Crybabies. All of you."

"But…you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?" Zelda asked, smiling through her tears. She continued, even when she didn't get a response. "You know we're fools, but you care for us for that reason, right?"

R.O.B. felt that much closer to Zelda as she admitted that. No longer was she this pillar of absolute strength. She wasn't untouchable. She had her own buttons, just like them.

When it came down to it, they weren't too different, really. Three of them found this out a year ago, but now they knew there was another. While Nana hadn't faced the strain of leadership, she did have one thing in common with them: All were driven by the desire to be accepted, and to have a network of friends. It didn't mean becoming Mister or Miss Popular, but it meant finding a home and a second family – or, for some of them, their only family left.

Nana broke into fresh sobs. She had begun to grin, though. "God, we are all so stupid, getting so worked up over nothing! D-didn't we make a pact not to get depressed again?" Nana giggled, which ended up sending a wave of laughter over the group – even R.O.B. seemed to be at least trying to do so, his body shaking with what seemed to be strong amusement.

One year ago, thirty-three people spent a night on this cliff, and for that night, they were briefly connected on a deep level. Now, four of them had returned, and their own bonds still remained. With the way they were now, they would always stay together like this.

Everything had been worth it, to just feel this happiness with each other.

-0-

_Spes omnibus, mihi quoque.  
Terror omnibus, mihi quoque.  
Ille  
iuxta me._


End file.
